A Mother's Request
by ArtisteFish
Summary: Her own death kept her from preventing her son's, but she may still have a chance to help him, and Izayoi won't rest until her little boy has everything he ever deserved.


~A Mother's Request~

* * *

Lady Izayoi wept as she watched her son's eyes close, the look of hurt, betrayal, and bitterness vanishing as he fell under the seal of the priestess's arrow.

Unable to restrain herself she ran to him and clung to his unresponsive form, but her hands only made the semblance of touching; after all, she had no body with which to hold him.

She was vaguely aware that the priestess had died, and in her rage over her son's mistreatment, she was glad of it.

She had seen the whole thing. Her son had done nothing to this woman. They had both been deceived.

And though her son had reacted to her supposed betrayal with violence, he had not hurt anyone.

Yet this woman who professed to love her little boy had killed him.

Izayoi could not forgive that.

She stayed in that spot for an indefinite period of time, watching over the living grave of her only child, until her very spirit was wearied.

"Why?" she cried, "Why could no one love you as I did? Why could no one truly accept you? If only they knew you, my precious boy… if only they knew who you really were… why did you have to die?"

'He yet lives.'

Izayoi gasped as the breathy voice of a spirit floated in the air around her.

It was an unfamiliar voice, but it was kind, so she responded.

"But he cannot live unless the seal is broken, and the only one who could break it is dead. He will sleep until his body is destroyed."

Her chest ached from crying, but hope spurred her on – hope that this voice knew something she didn't, and hope that her little boy would indeed live again.

'The body of the priestess may be dead, but her soul lives on.'

Izayoi nearly growled – a sound which would have greatly amused her husband – as she ground out "Let her soul be dead as well. I don't want her near my son ever again."

'You misunderstand' the voice said calmly 'her soul will be reborn, as a different woman.'

Izayoi's eyes brightened a bit, but sorrow quickly clouded them again as she said "What does it matter… no woman would help him… no one could ever treat him the way he deserves."

'… No one in this time.'

Izayoi's brow tensed as she said "What do you mean, spirit?"

'Truly no one in this day and age could love him as you do. They despise and fear all his kind; not even their compassion is enough, as you saw for yourself."

Izayoi narrowed her eyes. She knew alright. Her disappointment at hearing the priestess ask her son to become human was something she should have expected.

No one could just _accept_ the demon in him.

But _his_ acceptance of the plan broke her heart.

It was a rejection of her own beloved and everything he was, and yet with bitterness she realized it was probably the only chance at happiness her son would have.

Yet how could she be satisfied with that?

Her son deserved more than a half-life.

'And yet' the voice continued 'in the future there is one without such prejudice, who will not see him as a demon or a human or a being made of halves, but will see him for who he is.'

She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Could such a person exist?

"Please spirit, where is she? How long must he wait?"

'She will live in this place in five hundred years.'

Izayoi froze, and looked up to see the gently sleeping face of her precious little boy as tears welled in her eyes again.

"Five hundred years… he will never last that long!"

'I shall watch over him' the spirit promised.

"I can't accept that! So much could happen… the world will have changed by then, and he will have no place in it. Please, isn't there another way?"

There was silence for a while, until finally the voice returned, guarded. 'Great risk accompanies those who tamper with time.'

"What is it? Whatever price there is to pay, I'll pay it!"

'You are of the dead, and as such can do nothing.'

Izayoi clenched her teeth. She would not leave her son's future happiness to the whims of a frustratingly tranquil bodiless voice.

"You said there are risks, but that also means there's a way. Tell me!"

'… not far from here lies a well. It is made of the bark of my tree, and as such is imbued with my power.'

With a gasp Izayoi realized who she had been speaking with – it was the spirit of the very tree to which her son was bound.

'As with myself, that well will stand through time, even five hundred years into the future. With just a small boost of power, it may be used to bring the one who could release your son to this place, in this time.'

"A boost of power… like what?"

The voice of the tree spirit became grave as it said 'the soul of the priestess did not move to the next life on its own. It became tied to the Jewel of Four Souls.'

That jewel… it was what brought her son to this place… it connected him to the priestess… and it had led to his death.

Why must her Inuyasha's future be so tied to people and things that hurt him so?

'When the soul is reborn, the young woman who will receive it will also carry the jewel in her body. Although demons in the future are scarce, it will inevitably draw evil to it as long as she possesses it.'

A frown crept onto Izayoi's face, and she found herself pitying the poor girl who would inherit a power and a soul that would only bring her trouble.

Unless…..

"What… what would happen if she brought it here?"

'Therein lies the risk. In this world full of demons and evil wills, she and the jewel will be hunted constantly. It will be a much different life than anyone in her time could ever bear living.'

"… however?"

'… However, if upon coming to this place she releases the half-demon… she will not face such a life alone.'

Not alone… "Then… do you mean… will they have a life together?"

There was obvious hesitance as the tree spirit responded 'I am not at liberty to –'

"So they will." Izayoi was not in the mood for the spirit's vague pandering. Falling in love with a dog-demon and raising Inuyasha had taught her more than a few things – not to mention given her an iron back-bone. "Why the hesitance?"

'The Jewel of Four Souls should not be taken lightly. It will call upon an evil soul that has only begun to arise. The bandit Onigumo became a demon to gain it, leading to the tragedy you witnessed. He will try to possess it again, and many lives will be lost in his quest for power.'

Izayoi was silent as she thought over what the spirit had said.

Could her decision to bring happiness to her son ultimately cause ruin and death? Was she ready to accept such a responsibility for her request?

Well, she had birthed and raised a half-demon, hadn't she?

She was no stranger to risk and responsibility.

And she hadn't brought this beautiful life into the world to let it end here and now at the base of a tree.

"So, when will you bring her here?"

She could feel the surprise of the spirit, and she could have laughed were she not dead serious.

'I… you will accept the consequences of altering time?'

Izayoi resisted rolling her eyes. She wished her husband could travel to this plane with her – had he been here, this conversation would have been considerably shorter.

Though perhaps it _was_ better to stay in the spirit's good graces.

It _was_ protecting their son after all.

"I will, and I expect for him to receive everything he deserves."

'… He will. You must wait a bit for her to be born in her own time… perhaps another fifty years… at which point… when would you have her come?'

Izayoi contemplated her son again, this time with a smile, noting that his face truly looked peaceful, as if he were dreaming….

No… as if he were waiting.

"Will she be unmarried still at fifteen?"

'She will.'

Izayoi smiled broadly, and brought a ghostly hand to rest against her baby boy's still warm cheek.

"Fifteen then. Bring her here when she is fifteen years of age."

'My lady… perhaps when the time comes, you could lead her to the well yourself?'

A very satisfied, almost arrogant smirk crept across her lips, and she imagined her dearest would tease her for her look of triumph.

"I would, thank you. But please tell me… what is the girl's name?"

'It seems that her name will be called Kagome.'

Her smile was soft as she repeated the name over and over, liking it more and more.

"Kagome…."

* * *

"Souta, you're not supposed to play in there."

Izayoi smiled widely as she watched the newly fifteen year old girl approach the well-house, putting down her backpack as she went to confront her brother.

"I'm not – it's the cat!"

She was glad they could not see her or the mischievous gleam in her eye.

Indeed, he had come following the cat, but… who did they think the cat had been following?

She would find a way to get that cat some delicious tuna later as a thank you.

"Did he go down in the well?"

It took all of Izayoi's will to not rush over and dump the girl in herself… not that she could have done so without flesh and bone, but honestly, what was taking the girl so long?

As the young girl and her brother squabbled, she watched with fond eyes.

She had been watching Kagome for a while, ever since the tree spirit alerted her that the girl had been born in her own time, and already she loved the girl as if she were her own.

Her kindness, her bright personality, her fiery temper… it was just what her Inuyasha needed to temper his own disposition.

She was still a bit naïve and immature in her moods, but… so was her little boy.

They could grow and learn together.

 _Oh_ how she hoped they would grow and learn together.

The spirit of the tree had failed to mention that Kagome's ascent down the well would be via demon, and she was prepared to give the spirit a piece of her mind once they reached the other side (if the young girl reached it at all) but Kagome's surprising exhibit of power reassured her that the spirit did in fact know what it was doing, so she would save her complaints until they were truly warranted.

True to form, Kagome was not hysterical, nor was she overly worried as she stepped out of the well into a seemingly alien world, instead taking action to figure out what had happened.

And then… and then she happened upon Inuyasha.

Izayoi didn't know what she had been expecting, but she found all thoughts of expectations and worries and 'what-ifs' fly away as the young girl stepped right up to him, trying to talk to him, and… touched his ears.

She didn't quite know why she was crying, but… there was something in that simple gesture that shook Izayoi to her core… she had never seen anyone react to her boy or his ears like that.

They marked him as a half-breed, as possessing demon blood, as being different.

Izayoi knew people in Kagome's era didn't have them either – she should have been afraid, or at least disgusted by such a strange, animal feature.

But she was _touching them_ ; tweaking them in a way that Izayoi herself had done when Inuyasha was a baby, sometimes teasingly calling him her little puppy as he pretended he was too tough for such things and that he wasn't enjoying the attention.

She wished her beloved could be there with her to see this girl just _accept_ their son.

She would wait till the girl was asleep and slip back into the next realm to tell him.

For days and months she watched the young girl from the future change her son's life, and every night as they slept (when they did sleep that was) she would go home and report to her husband, and every time she would reaffirm her decision that she would take on the responsibility of the whole world and everyone in it ten times over if it meant her boy could be so happy.

When the jewel was gone and the well closed taking the girl from the future with it, Izayoi found the time for valid complaints had come.

Her anger rivaled that of any demon as she spoke to the ancient tree, all the while watching her broken-hearted son sitting above in its branches, waiting patiently for the return of the other half of his soul.

She was surprised he never heard her – a few birds must have, for they went flying at her outbursts, despite her lack of true vocal chords.

But the tree informed her that the well did not possess enough power on its own. It needed help. And the jewel wasn't around to help it anymore.

Kagome would have to help it herself, but… she wasn't ready yet.

Despite her overwhelming desire to give her son his happiness back, Izayoi understood that the well had limited magic on its own, and were Kagome to come back, it would likely be forever.

And she was not ready to leave her family and life behind her yet, despite the desires of her heart.

It just wasn't time.

So Izayoi waited… and waited… and those three years seemed infinitely longer than the fifty years her son had been pinned to the tree, because now he was _awake_ and _waiting,_ and she had to watch every minute of his suffering.

She could not travel through either anymore, and didn't know how long it would be before the young girl was ready.

So it came as just as much of a surprise to her as it did to her baby boy when Kagome dropped through the well again and fell into Inuyasha's embrace.

Izayoi remembered to pay the tree a visit and offer a proper prayer of gratitude, as well as a promise to not bother it again.

… Unless absolutely necessary.

* * *

*Author's Note:

I've had this idea in mind for a while, because I always wonder "Why did Rumiko even involve time travel in this? Like you could have had a killer story without Kagome being from the future." I love that she is, and of course it adds a lot to the story, but looking at it practically it seems to only complicate things.

BUT THEN I thought about what it meant: that the only person who could really TRULY AND THOROUGHLY love Inuyasha UNCONDITIONALLY (aside from his mother) COULD NOT BE FOUND IN HIS ERA.

Even Miroku and Sango and Shippo were wary of him until Kagome helped them see otherwise.

And also, I just watched the 'un-mother' episodes and was thinking about how sad Izayoi would have been to see her baby's hard life, and to see him be betrayed and sealed to a tree... I had to write something.

So anyway, this happened.

Also, I'm not trying to hate on Kikyo or make her a villain, but really: _how do you think Izayoi would have reacted to that?_ I also imagine that if she were watching early on when Kikyo was just reborn and was trying to drag Inuyasha into Hell, his mama would have been swearing worse than him.

He's a mama's boy and she loves her baby more than anything.


End file.
